ONE RIVERSTONE

VITAL STATS

PROJECT TEAM

PLACE PETAL

01. LIMITS TO GROWTH IMPERATIVE

In designing One Riverstone, the owners and architect worked diligently to build a home that blended into its natural environment. The dark green stucco, dark-colored, fire-resistant Shou Sugi Ban siding, and black metal roof allows the home to fade into its surroundings. The architect took advantage of the natural slope of the property to allow for good views without needing to add height to the home.

When the team chose how to position the home on the lot as well as the colors (dark green stucco, black Shou Sugi Ban siding, and natural brown soffit), the intent was for the home to blend into its surroundings. Upon seeing the project completed, the rationale the team had for design and color choices really proved true and those choices we made definitely enhanced the connectivity the residents feel with the surrounding environment.

The landscape is composed of plants native to central Oregon requiring no irrigation on property. The team designed the landscape plan to emulate the native landscape prior to building the home with the intent of having the landscape at the entry looking a little more manicured, but still natural, than the landscape to the back of the home. One of the early goals was to collect and propagate seeds from the existing landscape prior to starting construction; however, the team was not coordinated enough between our builders and our landscaping team to collect seeds in advance of construction. If given the chance again, the team would plan a little better to take advantage of this opportunity.

One Riverstone is located in a neighborhood that includes 14 single-family homes, with the 4 homes along the Deschutes River on approximately 1-acre lots. One Riverstone is on the northern boundary of the city, about three miles from downtown, which means addressing most day-to-day needs cannot be done on foot (though there is a fantastic coffee shop that is just a 20-minute walk from the house). Downtown Bend is a 20-minute bike ride away, and anything one would need is within three to four miles so it is easy for the owners to consolidate errands and go out as needed in their electric vehicle.

ENERGY PETAL

06. NET POSITIVE ENERGY IMPERATIVE

Even before the team decided to apply for Petal Certification, having an all-electric, resilient home was a priority for the residents. While the home was designed to maximize views, the team wanted to ensure the design could maximize the potential of a solar array. With that in mind, the home was designed with a south-facing butterfly roof that would accommodate a significant number of solar panels and capture a significant amount of sunlight. The home was also designed with high-efficiency windows and a robust insulation package for maximum efficiency. Each appliance and system, like the Miele ventless dryer and radiant heating, was selected with energy efficiency in mind.

While the team started with a solar array on just the butterfly roof with 36 panels, after evaluating the energy production and usage, the team decided to add another array of 18 panels on the parapet roof above the garage. The usage estimates in particular were not very accurate and,while the production estimates were in range, the residents realized they were consuming more energy than they thought they would (partially because of the two electric vehicles). Adding the second array was critical to have a chance to meet the resilient energy goals and the foresight to ensure there was space in the design for additional panels was incredibly important

For efficiency reasons, the team chose not to install central air conditioning. The plan was to take advantage of natural ventilation and passive cooling – opening windows in the evenings to allow in cool air, and leaving targeted windows open during the day to maximize airflow. Mini-splits were installed in the bedrooms that could be used for both air conditioning and back-up heating. The units are highly efficient, and are rarely used. However, the reality in central Oregon is that wildfire and smoke are reality in the summer months. On smoky days with poor air quality, having those units in place allows the residents to keep the home cool while also having the windows shut and protecting health and indoor air quality as much as possible. Even though Bend can get quite warm in the summer, cracking the windows during the cool evenings has been instrumental in keeping the home cool and not having to use the mini-splits.

EQUITY PETAL

15. HUMAN SCALE + HUMANE PLACES IMPERATIVE

The home was built with the goal of a seamless connection between inside and outside. The intention was to nestle the home into the slope of the landscape and ensure the colors blended with the natural environment. Even though the home is part of a community of 14 homes, when inside the house, there are many locations where if one looks out the windows one only sees trees. Exterior lighting was kept to a minimum (and only features downlights) so as not to interrupt the relatively dark skies in Bend. The home features a significant window package with over 40 windows in order to allow occupants lots of light and continual views of nature when walking through the space. The placement of the operable windows provides the opportunity for cross breezes in each room and to take advantage of the chilly evenings in Bend to cool the home for the next day. Additionally, the large great room which is an open space adjacent to the dining room and kitchen (which has a pocket door that creates an open 12’ span to the back deck) encourages community building and conversation. The orientation of the home and line of sight provided by the windows allows for incredible river views, privacy, and environmental beauty throughout.

16. UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO NATURE + PLACE IMPERATIVE

One of the team’s goals was to create a home that was placed in nature with minimal interruption. The project has no fences to isolate the home (other than a privacy screen outside the bathroom and a small, unlocked gate that is used to screen the garbage bins). he screens are made of Shou Sugi Ban, which is a dark-colored, fire-resistant wood that blends nicely into the surroundings. Only features of the landscape limit access to the property, most notably the cliffs along the river corridor.

There were a couple of challenges associated with achieving Universal Access to Nature and Place. The biggest challenge of this Imperative was ensuring the home did not overshadow the neighbor’s property, requiring the architect  to be diligent about the calculations. Another challenge with this Imperative was how to allow access to the river.There are certain required setbacks from the river and constraints on development along the river corridor. Further, the home sits just behind the rimrock, below which is a conservation easement; the conservation easement is highly beneficial to the riverine environment, but is highly restrictive. As the team went through the process of building and explored ways to provide access to the river, the team learned about the importance of navigating overlaying restrictions and codes at both the municipal and state level. While the team initially had a goal of providing access to the river, that desire was offset by a lack of practical ways to do it given some of the specific features of the lot. Ultimately, the challenge was not overcome; however, it did provide some learnings and reinforced the importance of protecting the river corridor.

17. EQUITABLE INVESTMENT IMPERATIVE

The owners of One Riverstone chose to donate to Sustainable Northwest to meet the donation requirements of the Equitable Investment imperative. While the owners have several other philanthropic endeavors, they felt that Sustainable Northwest, whose work centers on creating healthy landscapes, and protecting and restoring working lands to provide ongoing ecological and economic benefits, aligns well with the goals and themes supported by the Living Building Challenge. In particular, Sustainable Northwest works closely with communities to develop shared governance and equitable decision-making along with community-driven natural resource conservation. They work in several environmental areas including clean energy, green markets, sustainable agriculture, and water.

I18 JUST ORGANIZATIONS IMPERATIVE

The team hired E2 Solar to implement the solar array and energy system. It was not easy to find a recommended, Just organization in Bend (it likely would have been easier in a larger city). The team did get bids from other companies in order to have a comparison on price, and it turned out E2 Solar was price competitive with the other contractors.

BEAUTY PETAL

19. BEAUTY + SPIRIT IMPERATIVE

The team believes they have designed a beautiful home that connects people to nature and allows for a seamless indoor/outdoor living experience. The 12-foot pocket door out to the deck, the roof deck, the unobstructed views of the river, and the continuation of the tree trunks through the clerestory windows are all elements that add beauty to the home. Connection to nature was a theme that was central to designing the home, resulting in the ability for occupants to enjoy the natural surroundings from multiple rooms of the home. When one walks in the front door, they cannot help but see views of the river. Even when guests walk out of the powder room, they are faced with a six-foot window that features the river.

Most rewarding is when friends or guests who have visited the house reach out because they are thinking of building a home or doing a renovation and want to know how to incorporate some of the same ideas into their new space. 

There were so many ideas that could have contributed to the beauty and spirit of the home but the team stayed grounded in the central values of the project. Staying focused on our priorities – views, sustainability, and indoor/outdoor experience – was challenging at times, and in the end, the team benefited from staying disciplined in keeping these priorities front and center.

20. INSPIRATION + EDUCATION IMPERATIVE

The Green Tour is an annual tour that features the most sustainable and energy-efficient buildings in town run by the local nonprofit, The Environmental Center. The goal of the Green Tour is to inspire new ways to save energy and rely on renewable energy The project had hundreds of people come through the home on open-house day, so it was a great way to show people the home and talk about some of the accomplishments. Generally, people were excited about the all-electric home, the solar array and back up battery, the 12 foot pocket door to the back deck, and the air to water heat pump used for the radiant heating.

On the day of the open house, the owners had many conversations with visitors who wanted to learn about the home. Informative signage was placed throughout and featured the core elements of the home – such as the high R-value insulation package, the solar array, or the livability in general.